I haven't worn perfume for ages. You can't when you're shooting around chefs and food - it interfers with their cooking aromas. But after daily hits of Ode de la Vanille I was hooked. Everytime I saw a tassel a certain mysterious scent would waft over me...

I stopped in Anne Maisonneuve's shop looking for another macaron T-shirt. When I spotted her tassel earrings I had to have them!

Did you know Anne makes jewelry along with her adorable macaron T-shirts? I bought these tassel earrings even though they kind of clash with my red glasses, ahem.

I am maybe the world's worst baker but when I saw lush tubes of vanille at G.Detrou patisserie shop I swooned. I have no idea what I'll do with them but they arevanille like my new perfume...sigh

Everytime I passed an Amorino gelateria and read the words 'parfums' I couldn't resist.

It was the parfum dragging me in there against my will and forcing me eat ice cream everyday in Paris

Often you'll see little macaron 'maps' and they list the flavors as parfums. What choice did I have? munch munch munch

*Disclosure: FOURmacarons were eaten while preparing this post. What's a girl to do? Monkey see..monkey eat.

Fortunately I'm back re-united with my Guerlain Ode de la Vanille so I'm eating somewhat less ice cream, less macarons and stopped enhaling vanilla beans. I only have to give myself a spritz. Et voila. Guerlain's La Petit Robe Noir will be coming out this Fall. If you're now addicted too (it's contagious isn't it?) and you can't, wait try out their nicecologne on Amazon.

I just threw out my bottle of regular Shalimar:) I have made a vow to stop saving things..of course it's too late for that ,but spending time w/ my friend packing some of her treasures..I thought..just don't hold onto to everything..Boohoo I do:(Love vanilla..and of course you needed it..as well as the tassels!I have cheated this time and bought Vanilla Bean paste..just to see..But I even like making vanilla sugar:) and scraping the delightfully fragrant pods..adding the little black specks to confection..I LOVE to bake..This post is thrilling.Of course the artwork is the most charming of all.

Lots of watercolors today! Very nice ones, too.I don't know if I'd like vanilla as a fragrance on a woman, I've never come across it. But someone said it's an aphrodisiac, so I think this will have to be tested :)

The original Shalimar was the first gift my husband gave me...I know I still have it somehwhere around here...true packrat.The easiest thing to do with your vanilla beans: put one bean in a jar of sugar...after about a week you can add the sugar to anything... mostly I put a teaspoon in a cup of plain nonfat greek yogurt. You can even use just the carcass of the bean, after you have scraped all the goodies out of the insides.

You can scrape out the seeds inside of vanilla bean by splitting seed down center then use those seeds in creme brulee!! SOOOO Yummmy. And then you can put the split pod into sugar or vodka--you choose!Have a pink day!

ParisBreakfast Letters

♥carol gillott♥

l'Ile Saint Louis, Paris, Ile de France, France

Hi I'm Carol Gillott,
My Mom taught me watercolors at 5. I'm still at it on l'Ile Saint-Louis In Paris. Subscribe to my watercolor Paris letters and maps on Etsy and enjoy a Parisian souvenir in your mailbox every month. Savor with a hot chocolate and croissant.
I paint Paris dreams.